World Between Lines
by Munkustrap18
Summary: 11th Grade is here for Calvin, and Hobbes as fallen in love with Susie, but to her, he's only a stuffed animal. When she sees him, things can't get better. But what happens when more people start to see him too? Chaos! Hobbes/Susie, Calvin/OC
1. Accepting

**So, this is my first Calvin and Hobbes fanfic, and to be honest, I literally just found a whole book of them yesterday, and after obsessively reading it all day yesterday and today, I looked them up on FanFiction, and noticed that there's only two romance stories for Hobbes; one when he's paired with Calvin, one in a triangle, and in both of them, he's turned into a human.**

**So this story is a no-bullshit story following a pairing, which I think is a first; Hobbes/Susie. That's right. So, there shall be NO tigers-morphing-into-humans-crap, or anything such. The only difference is that it's set in modern day, and Calvin and Susie are now in their junior year of high school (technically, they would be anyway if time were continuous from the end of the strips, 1995. Just a fun fact for you.)**

**Enjoy, and please review!  
>_<strong>

'_Will you be my Valentine?'_

_ Calvin read the note over, his face turning into a red faced expression of pure discuss as his tiger best friend seized the note from the blonde child. He read the note over, a large grin crossing his face as he busted up laughing. He pointed at Calvin, dancing around him teasingly as he chanted in a sing-song voice,_

"_Calvin and Susie sitting in a tree!"  
>"I'm not her Valentine just because I got this in the mail, am I? Does the Post Master General know about this?"<br>"K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"  
>"I don't have to KISS her, do I? Is that what Valentine's do? Oh, GROSS!"<br>"First comes lo-ove, then comes marriage, then comes a baby in a baby carriage!"  
>"This can't be happening! I need a lawyer! SHE CAN'T MAKE ME HER VALNTINE!"<em>

_ Calvin was staggering around, gripping his head in worry and disgust as Hobbes nearly mauled the poor boy from behind in excitement as he pointed in the direction of which came a short-haired brunette. He practically bellowed into his buddy's ear, "HERE SHE COMES! HERE COMES SUSIE!"_

_ Calvin took a short moment to glare at the smirking tiger before looking at Susie as she innocently strolled up._

"_Hi, Calvin."_

_"GET AWAY FROM ME!," he yelled at her, throwing the card to the floor, earning a wide-eyed expression from Hobbes, "I'm NOT your Valentine! Take your card back! Eww! Girls! Yecchh!" He then stuck his tongue out at her, smirking proudly as she shook in anger. Susue then took a deep breath, placing hands on her hips as she glared back at the boy,_

"_That card wasn't for you, you moron," Calvin and Hobbes looked up in curiosity at this, "Didn't you read the back of the envelope?"_

_ She then smirked smugly, walking back in the direction she came from as Calvin muttered to himself, bending over to pick up the card, and turning it over. The name on the back made him nearly faint in response. He read it three times to make sure he just wasn't going bonkers,_

"'_Calvin, please give this to Hobbes'…HOBBES?"_

_ The tiger looked up in interest at this, snatching the note from his friend's hand to look it over himself. He read it over, grinning as the fir on his muzzle blushed a slight reddish color. He giggled a bit, pointing dazily at himself,_

"_Really? Me? Hot Dog! Smooch City, here I come!"_

Hobbes awoke with a starts, gasping as he sat up in the bed he shared with Calvin. Upon sitting up, he rubbed his eyes tiredly, looking around the dark room, and down at Calvin, who shifted in his sleep before waking up, looking at his best friend, sleep still making him very drowsy,

"Hobbes? Again?"  
>"Yeah…sorry."<p>

This was the third time he had woken up from a dream like that this week. What's gotten into him? Two nights previous, Hobbes woke up from a dream about the time Susie had taunted Calvin by calling Hobbes lovable, much to Calvin's disgust, and his prattling about how hobbes was a ferocious killer. Susie had then hugged him tightly, smiling. Hobbes couldn't do anything but smile to himself as Calvin was mortified.

"_He's a monster!"  
>"No, he's a big cutie!"<em>

…

"_Why didn't you maul her?"  
>"I was beguiled by her feminine charm…"<em>

The night previous to that, he had woken up after a dream about the time when Hobbes and Calvin, while on a G.R.O.S.S. mission, stole her doll. After trying to get her to pay ransom, she instead took Hobbes. The tiger had later mentioned to Calvin that he almost told her their secret code when she rubbed his belly, and had willingly played a tea party with the girl. All these endeavors with Susie always ended up with Calvin yelling at him about how the President and First Tiger of a prestigious girl hunting club _could not _be frolicking with the enemy. Not that Hobbes could, anway…

Over the years, Hobbes grew older as Calvin did the same. Tigers like him matured years ahead of their growth. Now Hobbes was officially an adult tiger, 18 in the years of his species. Calvin was seventeen, Susie trailing close behind. Hobbes had taken into account how Susie had grown taller over the years, obviously, and how she was getting…_prettier_…for a human anyway, as Hobbes would always say as a cover, whenever he was keeping a lookout on Susie for the still-lasting G.R.O.S.S. club, and just ended up staring at her in a daze, Calvin having to yell some sense into him.

She was smarter too, more mature. He short brown hair and grown into long dark locks, wavy and smooth. Her pale white skin had not a blemish, and she always had a light blush on her, her hazel eyes were like looking into the Amazon. She was _gorgeous_, and as much as Hobbes hated it, the more he spent time watching her, and getting to know who she was, and what she stood for, he was falling in love with her.

The problem?

She could only see him as a stuffed animal. Nothing more…

**I'm going to continue this into a full length story, if you don't mind. I hope this turns out how I'm imagining it. And no matter how many suggestions I get, I'm not turning Hobbes human, he stays an anthro tiger. N offense to CleoLeo and Aquaria Identity 07, you two are both very talented writers. I'm just tired of having characters morphed and twisted until they're unrecognizable…**

**Well, please review, there will be more to come. Thanks for reading this! :D**

**-RJ**


	2. A Vital Awakening

**So, I got no reviews for the last chapter, sadly, but I did get over thirty hits! So, I am determined to you, Silent Readers, to make sure you enjoy this story! I promise that it will be like no other in the archive! Now, please read and review for me, I'm begging you, reader! :)**

"Calvin."

The striped paw of his best friend nudged his side, making the blonde teenager stir, throwing the covers over his head, groaning. His voice had changed to that still high pitched, but somehow deep, teenage or of tome. He was taller, too. Not as tall as Hobbes, still, which the tiger loved to boast, but only about four inches shorter. Calvin clenched his eyes shut, batting the paw away from him,

"Shut up, Hobbes, I'm tired!"  
>"But Calvin-"<p>

The tiger snickered as Calvin groaned in irritation,

"If you shut that furry hide of yours up, I swear to God I'm gonna-"  
>"But Calvin-"<br>"What?"  
>"Your mom made pancakes!"<p>

At the mention of this, the slim boy tore the covers from his ruffled hair, his eyes flickering in excitement. He stared blankly at Hobbes,

"Seriously?"

Hobbes nodded with a small smirk as Calvin shot out of his shared bed, to his dresser, pulling out some clean clothes as he began to tug at the waistline of his pajamas. Hobbes strolled over to the windowsill, looking at the front yard, which was glossed over in the unusual sunny glow of the beginning of Autumn. School had started up again just two weeks before, but today, it was Saturday. A day for just him and Calvin, but his thoughts of the day's activities stopped short when he saw that gorgeous teenage girl from the window, sitting on the curb, appearing to be on her cell phone.

"Hobbes! Earth to Hobbes!"

Hobbes had involuntarily tuned him out. He was brought back to reality by a shoe being thrown at his head,

"Hobbes! You fleabag, what the hell is up with you?"

The sudden blow to the back of the head made Hobbes growl, baring his claws and pouncing at the boy, landing directly on top of him, growling through gritted teeth, "Throw another one, and see where you are five seconds after."

"O-Oops, that- uh…sorry."  
>"That's what I thought."<p>

He got off of Calvin, dusting himself off as he returned to the window. Susie was still there, sitting on the curb. She was wearing a grey turtleneck, blue skinny jeans and Ugg boots, he noticed, gazing own on her. Calvin, frustrated with his friend's behavior, stormed over to the window to see what Hobbes was staring at.

"Susie? What are you looking at the enemy for?"  
>"Enemy?" thought Hobbes for a second before laughing nervously, "Oh! Right! The enemy!"<p>

Calvin crossed his arms, an agitated glare thrown at the tiger, who shuffled awkwardly, scratching the back of his head,

"So…how 'bout those pancakes?"  
>"Hobbes…"<br>"What?"

Calvin took another look out the window, to see that Susie was pacing in front of their house, still on the phone. He turned back to the accused tiger, who was now sitting on the end of the bed.

"Never mind, I'm hungry. We'll discuss this after breakfast, in the tree house."  
>"Okay."<p>

This bought hobbes some time to think of some other excuse for looking out the window. Calvin was obviously already suspicious, so it was best to think of something else. Maybe a running tuna fish…no…that was too obvious. He followed Alvin down to the kitchen where the delicious scent of pancakes filled the room.

"Ah, I see you two finally decided to wake up."

Calvin and Hobbes looked at the clock, seeing it was already eleven. Around the time Calvin got to third grade, his parents had taken a class on parenting, and how to use their imagination more vividly to be able to interact with Calvin better, instead of feeding him annoyed sarcastic answers. After practicing the techniques of seeing things through more of a child's views, they started to little by little, see Hobbes. The result of this definitely made Calvin feel proud of himself for being right.

"Yeah…"  
>"You boys need to stop staying up so late! I blame those energy drinks…"<p>

She handed a plate to each of them, earning 'thank you''s in return, as they sat at the table to eat. Calvin's mom had to admit, at first, when she saw Hobbes come to life, she thought she was crazy. But when she realized that Dad saw it, and that Calvin always has seen it, she welcomed him as a late member of the family. She felt sort of bad that nobody else saw him, so she couldn't put him through school or introduce him to anybody., except Calvin's little circle of friends, who were also able to see Hobbes. It was nice, thought the tiger, to at least have a few other people notice him.

"What do you two have planned for today?" she asked.

Hobbes looked at Calvin, and shrugged. Calvin thought for a moment,

"I think we're going to go to the pizzeria with Tobin and Drew."  
>"When?"<br>"Probably around three."  
>"Well, have fun, and don't wreck the car!"<p>

**oooOoOooo**

By the time they finished breakfast, and finished their "morning" routine, it was a little before noon. Hobbes was mentally cursing himself as he followed Calvin to the treehouse; he hadn't yet come up with a good lie to substitute for Calvin's suspicions. Reaching the loft of the tree house, he stood to his full height, leaning against the rail of the little fence, trying to be as casual as he could. Calvin crossed his arms.

"President and First Tiger of the G.R.O.S.S. Club, may I ask why you were staring upon the enemy through the window this morning?"

Hobbes thought of his reply,

"No, you may not."  
>"This is ten demerits you're facing here, Mister!"<br>"Oh, shut it! Don't pretend like I didn't see you mailing that Valentine to that Delaney girl."

Calvin glared at Hobbes, groaning,

"That's not the issue! We're talking about you. Now, what is going on with you and Susie?"  
>"Absolutely nothing" Hobbes crossed he arms, and closed his eyes.<br>"Oh please! You've told me multiple times that you'd smooch that girl!"  
>"I was kidding!"<p>

Calvin raised his eyebrow.

"Fine…I think I'm in love with Susie…" Hobbes grumbled, nearly intelligible.

"Y-…You do, Buddy?"

Hobbes nodded glumly, turning around to rest his forearms on the wooden rail, looking sadly down to the ground. He could see Susie walking past the tree house with a friend. Calvin stood beside the tiger, looking down too, unsure of what to say.

"She can see you, can't she?"  
>"Not sure. Probably not. She hasn't been around you, or me, enough to see yet."<br>"Well, I guess that's the first step."

Hobbes looked over at Calvin, astonished, "You'll help me?"

"Of course! You can't expect me to not help my best bud in his time of need, can you!"  
>"…Yes."<br>"Well, not this time. It's my job to get Susie to fall in love with you."

Hobbes was wide-eyed. What could he say in response to this. He was overwhelmed!

"Thanks, Cal."  
>"…And I think I know how!"<p>

**Please review! As soon as I get one, the sooner I update. ^^**

**-RJ**


	3. Crossing Borders

**So, I know that this story isn't in the least my best work, but I really want this to be the story I'm imagining in my head. So let me clarify, I know I said that I wanted to stick to the original prompt of the backgrounds of the actual comic (no human transformation, only seen by Calvin), but I'll admit, it's kind of hard to work a romance story around two characters, one of them not being able to see the other. So, I had to tweak it a bit. Calvin's parents can see hobbes, and so can the two friends I mentioned in the last chapter. So far, they ae the only ones who can see Hobbes.**

**Thanks for reading this, I'm trying my best to entertain you guys. Hope it's working. :)  
><strong>_

_Two weeks later…_

"I'M HOME!"

Calvin squeezed his eyes shut as the sudden jump of the tiger, knocking him to the pavement behind him, landing with a giant grunt. Hobbes pinned Calvin down, teeth bared affectionately as he grinned at the boy. Calvin nudged the tiger, a way of signaling him to _get the hell off him_. Hobbes reluctantly got off the boy, dusting himself as Calvin stood up to his full height, half glaring, half smirking at Hobbes.

"What?" questioned the tiger.

"I've got good news, and bad news. Which do you want to hear first?"  
>"…Bad."<p>

"Well too damn bad, I'm telling you the good news first," said Calvin, "Well, good for you, at least."

"Lay it on me."  
>"Good news: I flunked last weeks test just so I could get Susie to tutor me."<p>

Hobbes crossed his arms, silently raising an eyebrow at the blonde haired boy. Calvin rolled his eyes, groaning,

"Fine. I flunked it anyway, but the point is that Susie is now my tutor, which buys you time to find a way to get her to see you."

With a huge goofy grin, Hobbes tackled Calvin to the grass again affectionately, rolling around, bear hugging the poor boy in a death grip, laughing whole-heartedly, before Calvin choked out from his loss of breath from the winding hug, and rolling around on the lawn, "Bad news! There's still the bad news!"

"Which is?"  
>"You owe me," smirked Calvin, "Big time."<p>

Hobbes cringed at the thought of what Calvin may do to make him repay for spending such long and insufferable hours with the enemy…just for him! He knew that if he didn't make Susie his, Calvin was going to much more than ticked off… 'Well', he thought, 'Here goes everything.'

"When does she first tutor you?"  
>"Today, in her backyard."<br>"How am I going to get her to see me?"

"You're on your own there, Buddy." Calvin chuckled, looking at the time. 3:09… he had six minutes until he was to go to Susie's house. The two walked into the house, where Calvin's mom was on the couch, watching Soap reruns. Calvin slugged upstairs to get a few materials as Hobbes sat on the couch beside the middle aged woman, head in paws, trying to think of how on Earth he could get Susie to see him.

"What's wrong, Hobbes?"  
>"Nothing…"<br>"…What's really wrong?"

Hobbes gave her a teasing glare before sighing heavily, "I'm trying to find a way to get Susie to notice me."

"I thought you and Calvin hated Susie."  
>"He does… I'll explain why I don't later, but I need to find a way to make her see me."<br>"Mm… I remember when I first saw you. Scared the living hell out of me."

Hobbes chuckled half-heartedly, before glancing up, his jade green eyes looking over to face the blue ones of the woman, "How _did _you get to see me, anyway?"

"Calvin's father and I took mental looseness classes, to broaden our imagination. Calvin has the imagination to really see you, and mark you as real. Who knows? I've seen Susie come up with some pretty neat things. How much could it take to get her to believe in _you_?"

"A long time. Obviously, it took you a long time."  
>"Yeah, but I'm <em>old <em>if you haven't noticed, Hobbes. Old people like me don't have the same imagination Calvin does."  
>"You do now, though."<br>"I know. Don't know how I never saw it before. If I touch your arm, I feel fur. Guess I'm not crazy."

He smiled lightly, looking down at his feet as Calvin's mother chuckled softly, patting Hobbes on the back, giving him a reassuring smile. The graying hair and starting wrinkles, and other signs of aging were apparent on her face. She was forty nine now/ Hobbes was barely 18, in his tiger years. Resting her hand on the plushy surface of Hobbes' fur, she petted it lightly.

"Don't worry, Hon. I'm sure a girl as smart as Susie will be able to see you in no time."  
>"Thanks. That sure does mean a lot."<br>"That's what I'm here for, Hobbes. Now, go check on that boy before he makes the bathroom explode on his _own_ this time."

The tiger blushed slightly, remembering a time just last year when him and Calvin exploded the toilet in the upstairs bathroom, "That was a one time thing!"

"Whatever you say, Dear."

He smiled, rolling his eyes as Calvin came down the stairs, "Come on Buddy, it's time to go."

"You seem rather excited."  
>"Believe me, I'm trying my hardest" retorted the blonde flatly.<p>

**oooOoOoOoOooo**

"Hi, Calvin!"  
>"Mmph…"<p>

He walked passed her, into the gate that led to the backyard. Susie stood at the gate in questioning as Hobbes ran up to Calvin, glaring at him. The boy merely shrugged with a guilty smile, setting his things down at a wooden table. Susie followed suit, passing by Hobbes, before what appeared to him, she looked him dead on, taking him by the hand, and leading him to the picnic table. Calvin was astounded. Susie was able to see him this entire time?

"Calvin, you left your stuffed tiger by the gate."

Hobbes' grin fell when he realized that in her eyes, she was only carrying a stuffed animal to Calvin. The blonde nodded, playing along with Susie's viewpoint, as Hobbes sat down at the table next to Calvin (or, he was handed to him by Susie). Calvin began to stammer,

"Speaking of my, uh…stuffed tiger…I was wondering if you could keep him for a few days. My- uh…family is going out of state, for um…Thanksgiving."

"It's September."

"You're September!"

Susie gave him an odd look, before sighing, and rolling her eyes, "Sure Calvin, I'll look after that tiger of yours… Now, let's get started on your algebra. A D average in your class? You're _very _behind."

Throughout the hour their lesson took, Hobbes sat in silence, half bored. Listening to her angelic voice was great, as he didn't hear much of it, but as much as he loved to hear it, forty minutes was a bit much. He looked at the math, occasionally whispering answers into Calvin's ear…it's not like Susie would notice.

"Well, that's enough for today, I think… So, you want me to watch your toy?"  
>"Hobbes?," he hesistated, but continued as a confused Hobbes nodded, "Er- yeah, if you could. Just for a few days."<p>

"Sure," she smiled smally, picking up the stuffed tiger, "You know, I've always liked this little guy."

"He's like my best friend" said Calvin, ready to leave. An hour with Susie was enough for just about his entire lifetime. He leaned towards Hobbes as Susie went inside to answer a yell from her mother. Hobbes tilted his head to the side, curious as to what Calvin had planned,

"This is out fall break. Come back to my house when she goes out. But try, and get her to see you before three days."  
>"Three days. Got it."<br>"I'll check up on you tomorrow afternoon, Buddy. You got this?"  
>"As much as I ever will."<p>

Calvin nodded, hugging the tiger before picking up his stuff, and leaving for home. This would give him time to write some extra rules for the next game of Calvinball. Susie came back outside, seeing the stuffed Hobbes doll sitting on the bench, a bit slumped over. She picked him up, and wandered up to her room, placing him on the bed, before walking to the bathroom.

The real Hobbes looked around her room, getting up, looking at pictures. There was an open-faced diary, not of much interest. It wasn't going to say anything about himself in there, but then again, there could be tricks into getting inside Susie's primary vision. He lay back on the bed, thinking.

Three days.

He sighed, taking a deep inhale as he stared at the ceiling. He sniffed a few times, inhaling the apparent sweet scent of the pillows. Her room was a light purple, with posters on the wall. It wasn't really girly, something which Hobbes was relieved about. No frills, pink, or glitter. Phew! He looked at Susie as she entered the room again, sighing, "You know I love you, right?"

She couldn't hear him.

But as she went to bed that night, she could've sworn she saw the stuffed tiger move…

**Yes, we know Calvin wouldn't give up Hobbes to Susie, even for a minute, but let it slip! I needed an excuse for them to spend extended time together! Prepare for the next chapter! Shit happens. O.O**

**-RJ**


	4. Triangles

**Happy late Thanksgiving everyone! First of all, I'd like to say that I was reading a story called 'Calvin and Susie Sitting in a Tree' by **_**princessninjawarrior **_**, and if she's reading this, I've got to say that it's fantastic! Can't wait for the update. I'll review it later, but what has to be done must be done: Chapter 4.**

**SO, I think I'm going to bring a bit of Calvin/Hobbes/Susie triangle at this point, to add to it. I want this story to be nice and drawn out. Thanks for the lovely reviews to this, and my atrocious oneshot, and I hope I get more. Thanks for reading! :)**

**I don't own Calvin and Hobbes, but Christmas **_**is **_**almost here, isn't it?... ;)**

_Chapter 4: Writhing_

Hobbes awoke to hear obnoxious snoring, Wait…what?

"S-Susi-…CALVIN?"

Calvin woke up with a start, staring angrily at the tiger, who was sitting up in their bed, arms crossed and an angry glare on his face. Calvin laughed nervously, trying to avoid the truth about why Hobbes has woken up in his own bed. He twittered his thumbs awkwardly as Hobbes sighed impatiently,

"Well? What happened?"  
>"I- uh… I got you back last night?"<p>

Hobbes raised an eyebrow, "You're saying that you snuck into Susie Derkins' bedroom late at night and stole me back?"

"Pfft- Ha! Ha! Pffft- NO!...Yes…"  
>"But <em>why?<em>"

"Well…" Calvin dragged the word out suggestively, eyes plastered to the ceiling.

"Well, what?"  
>"I think I…,might…like her too…"<p>

"Are you serious?" Calvin nodded sheepishly, "You've hated poor Susie since you were tykes! Now you're telling me after all this trouble that you too have fallen in love with the girl?" Calvin sat silent, Hobbes with his eyes narrowed. The tiger huffed, flustered, and started padding out of the room, as Calvin jumped from his bed in protest.

"Come on, Hobbes! It's not that bad!"  
>"Hmph."<br>"How 'bout this… The first one to ask her out successfully gets her!"

"Or not!" yelled Hobbes.

"Well, why the hell not? It's equal!"  
>"Equal, but not fair!"<p>

"How so?" asked Calvin skeptically, arms crossed.

"Look at you. You're human, exactly her age, handsome. And she can actually _see _you as more than a stuffed animal!"  
>"All the more reasons <em>I <em>should date her."

Hobbes was about to make a feisty come back, but settled for an annoyed glanced at the teen before walking past him, grabbing a towel and walking towards the restroom. Calvin groaned, stomping his way down the upstairs hall,

"Staying silent won't resolve this, Fleabag!"

He heard the shower faucet turn on, waiting for a reply. He heard Hobbes' voice muffled from the door,

"Trust me, you shutting you trap'll definitely have it's advantages."

Seething, Calvin stormed down the stairs towards the kitchen, where his Mom stood, scrambling eggs. She glanced over at her son, "What's going on between you and Hobbes? Sounded pretty nasty up there." Calvin sighed, sitting at the kitchen table, staring out towards the side of Susie's house.

"Well, Hobbes has been _head over heels _for Susie for, like, _ever_."  
>"Aw, that's so adorable."<p>

"And illegal." Muttered Calvin, earning a glare from his mother, before continuing,

"And now he's mad at _me _because I suddenly realized I wanted to ask her out. Ridiculous, right?"  
>"Now I see what Hobbes meant by you being a hypocrite."<p>

Calvin glared at his mother, who walked to the chair he was sitting in, and kissed his head, "Sorry Hon… I'm also sorry to hear that you're fighting with your best friend."

"Yeah…. Meh, I'll just let him choose the rules next time we play Calvinball."  
>"I don't know if that'll cut it this time, Calvin."<br>"Hmph…"  
>"I'm sorry, Dear. Here, have some eggs."<p>

She handed him a plate, which he eyed for a moment before walking onto the back porch. The leaves had already lost their summertime greenness, which turned to what one might call the beautiful art form that is the autumn changes… Or to those like Calvin, when the leaves become the color of crap. He soon heard the voice of Susie from the back gate, on the side of his house. He walked over to it casually, seeing Susie standing there with a look that was half annoyed, and half scared.

"Okay, now I _know _I wasn't dreaming."  
>"What?"<br>"You said that you and your family were leaving for three days."

Calvin chose his words carefully, "I lied."

"I know. And there's something else."  
>"What?"<p>

Susie opened the blue wooden gate, allowing herself in Calvin's backyard, sitting on the side of the porch and looking up at the taller one, "Last night, around three, I could have sworn on my mother's grave that I saw _you_ coming in, and leaving your room."

"That's a load of-"  
>"And that there was a six-foot tiger walking like a human <em>right behind you<em>. Care to explain?"  
>"Wait… You saw him?"<br>"Him? You mean you know that tiger?"

"Of course I do. It's Hobbes! You know, that Hobbes that's _always _with me and my friends?" He spread his arms out in expectance, as if the words he were saying were in a dialect didn't make him sound like a lunatic. Susie crossed her arms, narrowing her eyes as she looked up at Calvin, "How do I know I wasn't dreaming, though?"

"Because he's upstairs, right now, in the shower. But, don't talk to him. I hear he can get _real _ferocious. He's a menace!"

"Uh- Calvin! Calvin!" Susie pointed behind him, petrified. Calvin continued…

"A-And he speaks _tigerese, _yeah, so if he's trying to, let's say… ask you out, he;s really saying, "RWAR! I'LL EAT YOU!"

Feeling satisfied with his story Calvin smiled smugly before noticing Susie's frightened stare, her quivering finger pointing behind him as she backed up a bit. Calvin turned around, seeing Hobbes stand there, glaring at him. His fur was slightly damp, his green eyes angered. He poked a finger at his friend's chest,

"I'll become a ferocious menace on _you_ if you keep using her fear to your advantage."

Calvin shrugged, blushing red and smiling awkwardly, sputtering and laughing nervously before clearing his throat. He pointed at Susie, looking at the tiger, "Hobbes, Susie," he looked a Susie, glumly sighing, "Susie, Hobbes." Susie remained still, eyeing Hobbes worriedly.

"Don't worry, I won't hurt _you_." Said Hobbes, giving a slight edgy look towards Calvin, reaching his large paw out to shake her hand. She took it hesitantly, shaking it with caution before pulling away. The three stood in a bit of an awkward silence, besides the glares Calvin and Hobbes were sharing with each other. Soon, Susie became comfortable enough to actually move. She looked at Hobbes, fascinated,

"So…you're a real anthropomorphic tiger. I'm not crazy."  
>"You felt my paw, didn't you?"<p>

Hobbes smiled gently at her, as Calvin's mom stepped onto the porch, "Hobbes, can you please- Oh! Susie, how nice to see you!"

"You see him too?"

Calvin's mom eyes her hand gesture to who she called her second son. Hbbes was standing on the porch beside Calvin and Susie, "Yes, I do. Calvin's father and I have seen him for a little less than seven years. When did you see him first?"

"Last night."

Calvin's mom gave a stern look to Hobbes, mouthing something to him. Hobbes blushed madly, making x's with his forearms as if to say no. She gave him a questioning expression, as Hobbes gave Susie a smile, leaving the two humans to talk. He worried that their converse would end up making him lose chances as he went to explain everything to Calvin's mom.

**Well, the story's cooking! Please review, the fifth chapter will be here soon! :)**

**-RJ**


	5. Easier to See

**Loving the reviews, guys, keep it up! And I loved your reaction, **_**PrincessNinjaWarrior**_**. It made my day, as well as your awesome username. Update soon! :)**

**As for everyone else, please review as well, and I hope you enjoy chapter 5!**

"Hobbes, what did Susie mean by 'last night?"

"I swear, it's _not _what it sounds like?" protested Hobbes, knowing the very thing Mom had in mind. She crossed her arms, giving the tiger a very skeptical look,

"Then tell me what happened."

Hobbes sighed, telling the story, "Okay. So, Calvin and I went to her house so Susie could tutor him in Algebra, and obviously, she just assumed Calvin was carrying around a toy."

"Yes?"

"Calvin told Susie that you were all leaving for a few days, and asked her to look after me, her still thinking I'm a toy."

"But why?"

Hobbes blushed slightly, chuckling awkwardly and staring out the window, away from Mom, "He was just being a good friend. He knew something, I'll tell you later. Anyway, I must have been asleep in her room, but woke up here. So Calvin must have lured me back to the house when I was half asleep, so-"

"Wait! Hold it right there, Mister!"

The tiger paused, looking at her, confused, "What?"

"_You _were in Susie's room late at night, _alone_?"

"As a _toy_!"

"Hobbes, just because you're in love with her doesn't mean you should take it that far."

He was about to reply, but stopped short. How did she know that? He crossed his arms, raising an eyebrow, "How did you know that?" Mom flushed, forgetting that she found that out through Calvin. Giggling a little, she placed a hand on the annoyed feline's shoulder, "Oh, oops. Sorry… Calvin might have slipped that one out."

"I swear to God, he'll be tiger food one day…" muttered Hobbes, standing up, and walking out of the kitchen. Mom called back to him, "Make sure, especially that now Susie sees you, you know go in her room at night alone! Okay?"

"Okay!"

_Meanwhile, Outside…_

"Make sure, especially that now Susie sees you, you don't go in her room at night alone! Okay?"

Calvin and Susie looked in the direction of the house. The kitchen was placed right before the back porch, where Mom and Hobbes were speaking. At the obvious yell from Mom, Calvin knew what she was talking to him about, and had to try his best not to roll over laughing. Susie went wide-eyed, glaring at Calvin,

"You sent your _tiger _into my room last night without me seeing him to _spy _on me?"

Calvin went wide-eyed too, knowing that he would get part of the blame for this. She slapped his forearm, looking really mad. At that moment, trying to act as though none of the conversation with Mom had happened, Hobbes stepped on the porch, wearing his red scarf, the colder season taking it's toll. As he stepped outside, he was greeted too with a slap in the arm from Susie. Clutching it in startlement, he glared slightly at Susie,

"Hey! What was that for?"

"For creeping up in my room last night! I _changed clothes _in there last night!"

"I made sure not to look, I'm not so inconsiderate as to-"

Calvin stared wide-eyed at Hobbes, "She changed clothes while you were there? How dare you!"

"Oh, shut the hell up, Calvin, you sent me there in the first place!"

"I wasn't the one watching her at night!"

"You damn wish you were!"

"GUYS!" yelled Susie, making the two arguing boys stop and look at her solemnly, "Just shut up! I swear, both of you are at fault! I expected this from Calvin, but not from his _pet_!" Calvin then chuckled, pointed at Hobbes, who crossed his furry arms, glaring at Susie,

"Hey! I'm no one's _pet_."

Susie flushed, not realizing what she had said. In her defense, she hadn't known Hobbes was anything close to how she saw him now. A completely different persona, and she couldn't judge whether she liked him or not. She didn't like Calvin. She didn't _hate _him, but didn't like him. She looked at them both sadly, before sighing, walking off towards the large forest behind Calvin's house, running once she was out of sight. Hobbes looked at Calvin, who stared back.

"Bros before hoes?" breathed Calvin.

"I-… I need to go talk to her, Buddy,"

"Fine… I'll be down at the corner market, and I swear, if you don't maul me the minute I get home, I'll rip that fur coat off faster than you can say 'ow'."

Hobbes chuckled, nodding as he took off in a steady run on all fours into the forest. Calvin sighed, muttering to himself as he walked up to his room to swipe a few dollars from the safe he and Hobbes pooled their money in. He walked down the street, still muttering to himself, "With the free time he has with Susie right now at _my expense_, he'll definitely owe me this Christmas."

**oooOoOooo**

"Susie! Wait!"

Susie could hear the echo-y voice of Hobbes somewhere in the distance of the forest. Normally, she wouldn't react enough to actually run away, but it isn't every day you meet a six foot tall tiger walking and talking like a human. She creek surged below her, blasting cold water down it's current. She was sitting in a large oak tree in front of the creek, on an overlaying branch. She liked to go up there to think, or to simply feel, and think of not a thing at all. Today, that wasn't the case.

"Susie! Are you out here?"

He was closer. Hobbes stopped running for a moment to catch his breath, taking a deep breath through his nose, when he caught her scent. Smelling it again, he followed it. The fragrance smelt of wild berries, he noted, before walking past some shrub to see the girl sitting in an overhanging branch over the creek. Smiling to himself, he expertly climbed the tree, claws protracted, and reached the branch she was sitting on. Susie looked over at him, jumping slightly, but then just looking down at the water, not saying anything. Hobbes scooted closer to her until he was just beside her, looking at the water too. His white-furred feet dangled a litter further than hers, his long torso making him about six inches taller in head height. He looked down at her,

"I'm…sorry I was in your room last night, Susie." He breathed, looking down.

"But…why? Why did you in the first place?"

Hobbes sighed, "Well… Over the years, I've watched you. I've been with Calvin, and when you saw him holding the stuffed tiger, I was standing next to him every time, since kindergarten." Susie smiled lightly, blushing a tad, "And?"

"And… Well, after figuring you out to the point where I was able to make a…a definite decision on how I felt, I told Calvin, and he purposed that we find a way to make you see me. And, I guess it worked."

"It did," she smiled slightly, "I wish I had found this out sooner. There were times a while back where I could've needed a big fluffy tiger." They laughed lightly, until Susie looked at him again, "So… What do you mean by 'You make a decision about how you felt?"

"Well, I guess now's as good a time to say… I think I-"  
><em>"Wah!"<em>

Hobbes opened his eyes, looking down as Susie fell into the soaking cold water of the creek, holding onto a rock, looking up at him pleadingiy, "HELP! PLEASE!" She lost her grip on the rock, and started to drift, as she swam harder the other way, trying to find something to grab onto as she heard a second plash into the water. Hobbes was in the creek too, swimming to save her.

"Hold on! I'm coming!"

**Oh, double cliffhanger! Let's see how this pans out NEXT CHAPTER! :3**

**Let's see those reviews now, yeah?**

**-RJ**


	6. Tides

**Reviews, how I love them. And yes, **_**AlbusSeverusPotter**_**, I will be defining Susie more in this chapter, to get everyone's character in check. I love your penname by the way. :D**

**Also, thanks again to **_**PrincessNinjaWarrior**_**, as well as Omajaho-Boy and Wherever Girl for inviting me to their Christmas party. WG, if you're reading this, I'll be in contact with you soon about the New Years/Valentine's party. Can't wait to collaborate! **

**Anywho, here's another chapter. :)**

"Susie! Hold on to the rock! There!"

Susie turned her panicked gaze away from Hobbes, facing the direction of the current, seeing a large rock sticking out from the creek. She fought the current to swim to the side, and grabbed onto it. Her hands were freezing, the creek was _days _away from freezing. Her flushed hands clutched the rock for life, her legs and torso surfing the top of the water, pulled mercilessly by the tide.

Hobbes, to both of their advantage, had become a very agile swimmer. The current going the direction he needed worked to his advantage. Trying desperately to keep his mossy eyes open, he forcefully breast stroked his way towards his damsel in distress. Susie, seeing the edge of the creek, where she could potentially get out, began to uneasily hoise herself onto the rock. Hobbes was about thirty feet away, gliding down the ravine as quick as he could. Her upper body was hoisted onto the rock now. She worked her left leg onto it as the tiger clutched a rock about three ahead of her own, trying to slowly maneuver to hers without passing it.

"Stay there! I'm coming. Just- stay there."

Heart pounding rapidly, the feline tore out of the water, landing catlike on the rock, and skipping over to the boulder Susie clutched onto, her long dark hair in matted tangles, bordering the ever paling skin of her face. He could see the desperation in her eyes. Now crouched on the large rock, Hobbes extended a long arm towards her, an expression of pure worry on her face. Susie, looking down at the unforgiving rapids, reached up with her left hand, clutching his wet paw. He pulled her up forcefully, sending them both tumbling backwards into the dirt, Susie landing on top of Hobbes, both covered in creek water and now, their position, Susie rolled off of the tiger, standing up, extending an arm to help him up. Now standing, he noticed how cold she must have been. He held up a finger, running behind the tree to shake out the water and dirt in his fur, before walking back over, mostly dry. She looked up at him,

"Th-Th-Thank y-you."

"Don't mention it," Hobbes breathed, wrapping a warm arm around her to guide her back to the house, where Mom would surely supply her with a towel and a blanket. As much as Susie wanted to thank him again, she remained silent, feeling uneasy to waste heart filled nothings at him. Hobbes, as they walked, also tried to speak to her, but couldn't find the words. All he knew was that when Calvin found out Hobbes saved her from possible injury, he was going to be _**pissed**_.

Now in the backyard, Susie found it comfortable to get closer to the heat radiating from Hobbes fur. He didn't seem to mind. She was still shivering from the cold water, but it helped, in the least. Climbing the steps, they entered the kitchen, to see Mom sitting at the table, drinking coffee and reading a magazine. She looked up at them, seeing Susie shivering and wet, and Hobbes' fur damp. Mom immediately stood up, walking around the table to help them. She looked at Susie, then to Hobbes,

"What happened here?"

"I fell into the creek," said Susie quietly, her breathing shaky, "H-He helped me out."

"Oh- Oh, you poor Dear, let me get you a towel."

Mom rushed out of the kitchen, towards the downstairs hall to fetch a towel and blanket from the linen closet as the pair remained, awkwardly standing in the kitchen. A million things were going through Hobbes; mind right now. He was pleased with himself, and his deed, but it still made him guilty to see her so cold. She leaned back into him, feeling the warmth of his chest fur again, before looking up at him again,

"Th-Thanks again. I'm so sorry for making you jump in the water."

"You didn't make me. I chose too."

She nodded, shrugging as Mom returned to the kitchen with a fluffy towel, wrapping it around Susie's shoulders, keeping them in her hands as she looked at the poor girl, "Here you go, Deary, get warm. It's not good to go falling in creeks during this time of year."

"Thank you, Ma'am. I'm fine, honest."

"I won't have any of that, Hon. And please, call me Doris."

"Well, Thank you, Doris."

Mom smiled at her, putting a tea kettle on the stove. Hobbes was leaning against the counter silently, not sure whether or not he needed to say anything at this point. They heard the sound of the front door closing. Calvin, seeing a number of occupants in the kitchen, set his bag of goodies down to check out what had happened. He padded along to the kitchen, seeing his Mom putting a kettle on the stove, Hobbes and Susie both wet, the latter drying her hair off with a towel.

"What happened to you guys?"

"She fell in the creek," said Hobbes flatly, glancing at Calvin. The blonde looked from him, to Susie, who shivered a little every few moments, "Are you alright, Susie?"

"I'm okay… Excuse me for a moment, I'm…I'm gonna go change."

She set the towel down on the table neatly before rushing out the back door towards her house, to change he clothes. The girl entered the house. Her Grandparents weren't home, probably playing bingo with their friends, sipping hot cocoa. She stumbled up again, blowing onto her fingers to get the numbness out. She entered her room, feeling the warmth. Shutting the door, the brunette reached into her dresser drawers to pick a new change of clothes.

'_If it weren't for him, you could be really hurt.'_

He nodded to herself, feeling remorse for causing Hobbes to jump in the river after her, but she felt it was sweet that he did anyway. She had only just met him, but he's known her for as long as she could remember. It was strange in a way. She wondered if any of her other friends would be able to see him, it was obvious Calvin's few friends did, and his parents did. Unless she was dreaming.

Susie was a very smart girl. She achieved a 3.9 GPA, and was the editor of the newspaper. She wasn't the most popular girl at school, but did have a good sized circle of friends, Calvin included on very _rare _occasions. She was very self-conscious, and had a rather low self esteem, and way particularly shy around new people. Her outburst at Calvin and Hobbes was a very minor exception. She sighed, pulling on a grey turtleneck, relishing the sudden warmth it gave her, like that of the tiger's fur. She stopped short for a second, almost feeling strange that she was thinking about it so much. Shaking her head, she pulled on a new pair of pants, and Ugg boots, feeling nice and warm.

Padding over to the bathroom, she took out her contact lenses to clean them, suddenly blind as a bat. She found the blurry handle of the sink, and washing the lens, before dropping it. Gasping, she felt around in the sink for the lens, and couldn't see it.

"Shit," she muttered, putting the other one back in her better eye. It was still only half the vision, but she could see, barely. After adjusting it in her left eye, she went carefully down the stairs to get back to Calvin's house. Their back fences connected with a gate. She walked through it to see Hobbes sitting on the porch, now dry. He had his elbow on his leg, chin in hand, glumly stairing down at the dirt below his feet. There were red mugs on either side of him. She approached him slowly. He looked up at her as she stepped in front of him. He smiled sadly, handing her a mug of tea,

"Oh, hi… Here, Mom fixed this up for you…"

"Oh. Thank you."

She hesitantly took the cup from him, taking a sip of the warm drink. Herbal peach tea was always delicious, especially in cold weather like this. She still couldn't see too well. The tension was growing, she could tell. She took a short glance over at him. He was staring at the ground still. She tensed a bit when she heard him speak, lowly, just above a whisper,

"Do you feel better, now?"

"I do. Thanks for helping me out of there…H-"

"Hobbes," he said softly, smiling ever so slightly. She looked up at him to meet his gaze dead on. His bright green eyes looked straight into her. Se felt almost uncomfortable, but safe at the same time. It was hard to describe. Again, as subtly as the first time, he spoke again, "You can't see."

"What?"

"You're squinting to see me, and this eye is brighter than the other."

"I dropped a contact lens into the sink…" she mumbled softly, "I don't want to wear my back up glasses. They're ugly."

"Opinions vary, you know."

"Hmph."

"Just put 'em on. It's just us here, isn't it."

Sighing she reached into her left pocket, pulling out a long, thin case. From it, she pulled out glasses. The frames were thick, and black. She pulled them on, pushing her bangs to the side, to see again as she looked back at him again. He smiled. She rolled her eyes, "I told you."

"I think they look great on you."

"Lies." She said simply, with a slight smile. He held up his right paw, mimicking oath, "I'm as honest as Abe."

"Hobbes," said a voice from the back door.

The girl and the tiger looked back, seeing Calvin standing at the back door. His arms were crossed. Hobbes looked at him, "Yeah, what is it?"

"I need to talk to you."

**The chapter was sort of dragging, so I ended it there. But things are going a bit more. I intend to bring Hobbes into the school, to increase the whole triangle, but the question is whether or not I keep him invisible, or if somehow, I find a way to make him visible to all. Your thoughts?**

**Review! =3**

**-RJ**


	7. The Green Lines

**This story, I've decided, is dedicated to **_**Albus Severus Potter**_**, for not only reviewing in good detail to THIS story, but to a few of my other ones. You should make an account, so I can make some real replies to you, you're ideas are great. :)**

**Speaking of which, I'm totally open to suggestion. As of right now, this story is open ended, and I have no idea how long it will be, and how it will end. It ends when it ends, this story was made purely to see a **_**Hobbes/Susie **_**pairing. I've never seen it before, but thought it fit nice (especially given Hobbes' rather provocative comments about her in some of the strips xD) Maybe someone else will try the pairing. **

**Thanks for reading, and reviewing. Suggestions are totally welcome, and hey, if anyone wants to make some fanart, I'd love to see it, and put the link on my profile. Yeah. So, aside from that, here's chapter 7!**

"I need to talk to you."

Giving Susie an apologetic smile, the feline hoisted himself up onto the porch, and followed Calvin into the house, up the stairs, to their room. Once in the room, Calvin shut the door behind them, turning back to see Hobbes leaning against the closed windowsill, arms crossed. He gestured a hand to the teen in question, "What did you need to tell me?"

"I know a way to get you into school."  
>"How- Why do you want me in your school?"<br>"Don't you want to be closer to Susie?"

Hobbes tilted his head to the side, eyebrows raised, "Wait a minute. Don't you 'like' her?"

"Do you want to be around he more, or _not_?"

The tiger thought for a moment, feeling skeptical. Calvin had gotten a lot better at scheming over the years. Eventually deciding that he could simply maul him if something went wrong, he slowly nodded. Calvin smiled, pulling out a small shite board from the side of the bed. He had drawn a map of the neighborhood, along with little multicolored lines running through it, criss-crossing a few times. At the top was a heading in red dry-erase marker, labeled _Operation: World of Lines_.

"_Operation: World of Lines_? What's that?"  
>"See, the red line is the route Susie takes to school. The blue one is my route, and the green one will be yours."<br>"Why is my line going in the opposite direction? You and Susie normally take a similar route, don't you?"

Calvin flushed, before shaking his head, making angry gestures with his hands, pointing at the green lines

"It's been made clear that the creative people –such as myself- are the ones who see you."  
>"Your point?" <p>

"If one fourth of my school sees an anthropomorphic tiger on campus, they're going to freak! The other creative people being the ones who take creative writing, drama, modern art, etcetera. All those people take the southern route, where most of them like to hand out too. Susie and I go there, but you have to go to the North route to get in, where the math and science rooms are."

"Gotcha. But what about classes. I have to be in her classes to spend more time with her."  
>"We're seniors, and only have three classes. <em>Economy, English IV<em>, and _Drama_. So, we'll find somewhere for you to go for _Drama_."

"Okay… Well, when do I start?" asked Hobbes, getting excited at the thought of going to high school."

"Tomorrow's Monday, so, I guess then. Be sure you're ready, and awake by seven."

Nodding, Hobbes smothered Calvin in a bear hug, lifting the poor boy off the ground before dropping him, and racing off to tell Mom and Susie. Picking himself up off the ground, and dusting his sweater off, Calvin smiled evilly to himself. He felt bad about it deep down; this plan was going to get him more time with Susie. He had made Hobbes a notebook with more lines on where to go, and where not to go. His main hope was that Hobbes would find a new girl to go after. It wasn't likely, but he hoped the plan would work.

**oooOoOooo**

"Susie! Susie!"

The girl was still sttingon the porch, waiting, sipping her tea. She was sill wearing her glasses, having a slight bit more confidence after Hobbes' words. Said tiger was rushing though the kitchen, grinning as he made his way to the porch. He jumped from the porch, onto the lawn, whirling around to face a stunned Susie. She couldn't help but giggle a little at his behavior. His eyes glinted happily, a big toothy grin plastered to his face, his posture spontaneous. She stood up, smirking a bit,

"What has you so excited?"  
>"Calvin told me I can go to school with you guys. Isn't that great!"<p>

She smiled. In a sudden act of happiness for the tiger, she hugged him. Hobbes blushed at the sudden contact, but felt it as an opportunity, hesitantly wrapping strong arms around her waist, savoring the feeling of her against him. Half of Susie wanted to pull away, was it weird to hug him so soon? The urge to do so melted away the moment she tensed at the feel of his arms returning the hug, wrapping around her. He was warm.

Eventually, she pulled away, a bit to Hobbes' disappointment, but the gesture made him happy none-the-less. Her scent was rather…intoxicating. As they slowly pulled away from each other, Susie smiled. Maybe having him around school would be nice. He seemed intelligent, and a bit goofy to counter balance it. The feelings she had about him were growing from everywhere, almost in a confusing way, but-…she couldn't explain it…

**oooOoOooo**

Susie prepared for the following week later that night, a bit slowly. Her mind was wandering. She prepared her book bag with the bare essentials, ad set it by the door. She had showered, and was now choosing what to wear. Meanwhile, her iPod dock was playing through a shuffled playlist. The sky was dark, the only light was coming from the lamp on her bedside table. It was around ten o'clock at night. Picking out the clothes, she walked slowly to her bed, sitting down on the side. _Coheed and Cambria_'s 'Feathers' was playing from the speakers, one of her favored songs. It was one of those songs that made her feel in love.

Love.

That was something she felt was lacking. A love life. Not that it really mattered at the moment, but she still wanted the feeling she used to feel around Calvin. Her crush on him faded throughout her time in high school, as her self esteem seemed to be shot down by the "it" girls, the ones that harassed her so much. They called her ugly, and nerdy, and treated her like crap. '_I'll have to set Hobbes on them one day_', she thought subconsciously, smiling evilly to herself at the image. '_Hobbes' _she then thought, then saying the name out loud, quietly as she lay down, settling under the covers.

There was something about him. She was feeling more and more glad that she'd be able to speak with him at school now. It would be a nice change speaking to someone at her own intellectual level, instead of the moronic group of girl friends she was stuck with now. She rolled her eyes at the thought of them, those bimbos. Resting her head back on the pillows, she closed her eyes, dreaming of what would happen tomorrow…

**oooOoOooo**

The next morning, Calvin woke up to the shrill beeping of his alarm clock. Opening his eyes bitterly, he sat up, reaching for the snooze button, before realizing that there wasn't the familiar furry torso he normally had to reach over. Rubbing his eyes, he looked in the direction of the dresser and mirror, seeing Hobbes already awake, spraying something on himself.

"You're serious, Hobbes? We don't have to leave for another forty minutes!"  
>"I wanted to be ready and awake for today."<br>"At 6:50?"

The tiger simply rolled his eyes. Calvin rolled back over to sleep longer, until an all too familiar scent caught him. He sat back up, eyebrows furrowed, look at Hobbes in questioning,

"Are you wearing cologne?"

Hobbes chuckled nervously, nodding, "The back of the bottle says that girls love the smell of this stuff." Calvin muttered to himself, rolling his eyes, and rolling back over as Hobbes continued to inspect himself in the mirror. He had brushed his teeth and showered. He felt ready for the day. Taking a deep breath, he headed downstairs to read something prior to leaving. He pulled out the notebook Calvin given him. His green lines were in almost exact order of where to go, no freedom. Shrugging, when 7:30 rolled around, he began to walk his route to school.

He finally found Calvin at the school when the first class was to start, and followed him, walking past the unsuspecting students until he saw Calvin enter a large building. He continued to follow him, and finally caught up with his friend, spotting Susie ahead of them both in the hall. He stopped the boy, grabbing him by the shoulder.

"What class are we going into."  
>"I have Drama."<p>

Absentmindedly, Hobbes continued to walk down the corridor until they were in a large auditorium. His eyes were locked on Susie, a few steps ahead. When they entered the room, a handful of students took a look at them from their seats. The ones who looked immediately screamed, and ran through the isles. Susie whirled around, and waved at Calvin and Hobbes, before realizing why everyone was running. The tiger flushed, turning to Calvin,

"I…I wasn't supposed to be near the drama building was I?"

**I ended this chapter too hurriedly, but whatever The next chapter wil be an eventful Monday at school, and the walk home. Any suggestions for what should happen next chapter, involving either the fearing students, or the growing relationship between our two main characters? :) I love the suggestions.**

**REVIEW. :3**

**-R to the J, Bitches!**


	8. Waking the Demon

**Hear hear! All members of the G.R.O.S.S. club, reside! We must create a petition to convince Bill Watterson to authorize a television series for Calvin and Hobbes. It's arguable that recreating such a precious memory can be bad for it, but then again, think of it. The man has to have some sort of idea of the brain-rotting cartoons they show on T.V. today. Seriously, has anybody turned on Cartoon Network lately- bunch of shit that is. The children of today need the old school, original, smart political humor that C&H provided. **

**Who's with me?**

_**Warning: This chapter contains mild language and an offensive name-calling. This is high school after all, is it not?**_

**Here's chapter 8…**

"RUN!"

A crowd of the drama students were rampaging around the theatre. There were many collisions and tripped-over seats to add to the whole crowd. Calvin and Susie couldn't help but chuckle; the crowd of students look like chickens in a coop. Hobbes took a step back, against the wall as the drama teacher ran up to Calvin in horror. Calvin was still laughing hard as ever. The teacher, pointed at Hobbes, who was still standing in the background, his expression mildly amused.

"C-Calvin! Why is there a t-tiger in the auditorium."  
>"That's the coolest thing I've <em>ever <em>heard you say."  
>"CALVIN!"<p>

The teen crossed his arms confidently, looking at the crowd of petrified students in the middle of the auditorium,

"I _told _you I had a real live talking tiger. And you didn't believe me."  
>"It talks?"<p>

Hobbes took a step forward, a paw gestured to himself proudly as he bowed next to his friend, "Why, yes, I _can _talk." The students began to file closer to Calvin and Hobbes, utterly shocked and astounded. The teacher ran a hand over his furry arm, "Amazing!" she whispered incredulously. A random teen from the group shouted out,

"Did everyone see him come in the school?"

"Nope," said Calvin coolly, as Hobbes took a few steps to the back of the room, away from the amazed crowd of students. Susie followed. Calvin continued his explanation, "We've found out that only the imaginative ones, such as myself, can see him. Everyone else views him as a stuffed animal. A group of "it" girls suddenly made their way from the crowds of people. A girl with long blonde hair and short denim cutoffs approached Susie and Hobbes, who were standing in the back shadows of the room. The girl crossed her long slender arms, a smirk on her face,

"So, Susie, I guess we were right."

Susie sighed in agitation, turning to face the girl. Hobbes arched an eyebrow from behind,

"What are you talking about, Brooke?"  
>"The only boyfriend <em>you <em>were ever going to get would be something gross and hairy,"

"I shaved today!" argued Hobbes from behind the brunette. The girls ignored his statement.

Brooke's group of friends rolled their eyes, absentmindedly twirling their hair between their figures. Brooke scoffed, offended, as Hobbes and Susie were silently laughing to themselves. Rolling her hazel eyes, the shorter girl made her argument,

"Oh, is that right? At least he isn't as hairy as your underarms."

Brooke gasped, crossing her arms quickly. Susie smirked proudly, the tiger behind her snickering, trying hard to burst out laughing at her quick comeback. Brooke regained her mean attitude, sitting on her hips. Her bitch face made it's way back to her face,

"You'll pay for that one, Dyke-ins."

Hobbes took a step up to Brooke, pointing a furry finger in her face, a growl coming from deep in his throat, "I'd suggest you leave her alone, Ladies. _Got it_?" The girls instantly took a step back as his growling got louder, and his sharp white teeth flashed. They walked away, flashing glares at Susie. Once they were gone, Hobbes turned back to the brunette. She was leaning against a theater seat, head down. Feeling bad, the feline placed a paw gently under her chin, lifting her head up to meet his gaze.

"Does that happen regularly."

She nodded, "Yeah. But who cares? It's just Brooke and her bitches."

"And? That was completely uncalled for."  
>"I know, but it's normal. Just a high school thing, I guess."<p>

Hobbes offered her a comforting smile, "Well, if that happens again, don't hesitate to ask me to maul them." Susie laughed at his shortly, before looking up at him, her eyes seeming clearer through the lenses of her glasses, "Why are you so nice to me?"

"Why aren't they to you?"

She smiled back at him lightly before her name was called by the teacher to begin the day's script reading.

**oooOoOooo**

English class with Calvin went by less smoothly than Drama, seeing as there was a mixed crowd of students. They had arrived early, deciding that Hobbes should hide in the closet during the duration of class. Calvin used this tactic in hopes of less interruption of being able to sit next to Susie during the class. Deliberately waiting for her to enter the room, he immediately sat beside her.

"Hey Susie!"

"Oh, hi, Calvin," she replied with a slight smile, reaching into her book bag for her notebook and pen. Calvin knew that Hobbes already had a head start on making Susie his; he had to ask her out, fast. With the closet door creaked, Hobbes was peeking into the classroom, directly at the pair. As soon as Calvin planted his butt in the seat next to Susie, _his _Susie, he knew something was fishy about this. He listened closely.

"So, I was thinking…"  
>"Yeah?"<br>"Maybe we could go see a movie on Friday?"

Susie froze, undecided. She hesitated, "Like…a date?"

"Y-yeah. A date!"

"Well…" she thought about it, "I guess s-"

"BWAH!"

The pair snapped their heads to the left, in the direction of the closet. The door flung open, and Hobbes fell directly onto the desk of the nearest student, who happened to be Moe. The bully looked at the desk, seeing a stuffed tiger. He tilted his head to the side in confusion as about ten students other than Calvin and Susie shrieked in high voices, running to the farthest corner of the room. The teacher turned around from the chalk board, looking furiously at the students in the corner,

"What's the _matter _with all of you?"

"THERE'S A TIGER IN THE CLASSROOM!" yelled one of the girls in the corner, pointing to Hobbes, who was standing awkwardly in front of Moe's desk.

"HE'S GOING TO EAT US!" yelled another.

Hobbes waved his arms in protest, holding up a finger to silence them, "Ladies, Ladies, I'm not going to _eat _you. Human teenagers are _way _to high in cholesterol," he exclaimed, gesturing to his chest, "So calm down!"

"What the f- HE TALKS TOO?"

"Martine, Crystal Jackie, Mia, Andrew, Sammy, Mark, Geo, Jose, and Rose. DETENTION. Stop disrupting my class!"

"But Mrs. Wormwood! There's a tiger in the classroom, by that guy's desk!" exclaimed Mark, pointing to Moe. The bully sighed at the non-mentioning of his name. The teacher rolled her eyes, picking up the stuffed animal (to them, pointing at Hobbes), "This is a _stuffed animal_. Now get in yours seats!"

"Stuffed? Don't you see him standing there?"

Wormwood groaned, pulling out a walkie-talkie, requesting a name. After a few minutes, a security guard came up, "What's the problem, Mrs. Wormw- MOTHER OF GOD!"

"What? What is it?"  
>"THE TIGER!"<p>

"Take a picture, it'll last longer," said Hobbed flatly, leaning against the desk as the security guard fell to the ground unconscious. The other students in their desk were beyond confused about the situation. In the end, class was dismissed early, as Mrs. Wormwood had to take the guard to the nurses office. Walking out of the classroom, Calvin was seething at Hobbes, who simply had his arms crossed and eyes closed. As they walked down the hallways, about half of the school were running for their lives again.

"Jesus, Hobbes, I take you to school for a damn day, and you give the security guard a nervous breakdown!"  
>"You're the one who didn't think this through."<br>"You had a book of guidelines!"

Hobbes groaned in utter frustration, facing off the teen beside him, "Like I want to live in a world between lines? I saw what you were doing. You tried to trick me into hiding in a closet, deliberately shoving me out of the way so you could ask Susie on a date. You know my feelings for her, you blockhead!"

"Hobbes."  
>"Well, what's you're alibi this time, Calvin?"<br>"I have none! You're right!"

The tiger threw his arms up in exasperation, "Are you kidding me? Now of all times, you come clean?"

"Yep! And you know why?"  
>"Why?"<br>"I know that Susie wouldn't want to date an animal like you, let alone one everybody either runs from or can't see!"

"You take that back." Fumed Hobbes, taking a step towards Calvin, brow angrily furrowed. Calvin proudly crossed his arms, knowing he wouldn't be attacked somewhere public. Hobbes pressed a finger to his chest, glaring at him, "Listen here, Buddy. I'm never trusting you again." He turned to leave, but nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw Susie standing behind them. It only took a look at her expression to know she had witnessed the entire argument. She glared at Calvin,

"Susie! It's not what it sounds like!"

She looked from him, to Hobbes, who stood frozen, and blushing, his expression petrified. Did she figure him out already? She slowly continued walking to her next class, leaving the two boys to panic.

"Great! Just damn great, Calvin, she knows!...Wipe that smile off your face!"

**Does Susie know about Calvin's deceit? Does she know about Hobbes' feelings? Find out in the next chapter! CPlease give me suggestions, there's a good chance I'll use them! :)**

**Who wants to help start a petition for a C&H animated series? :)**

**-R to the J, Bitches**


	9. Checkmate

_**A.- I made my account in '08, without saying anything to my parents, what they didn't know wouldn't hurt them. Plus, I'm a guy, and in today's world (especially in CA!) the chances of someone finding out about my secret of enjoying writing fanfiction would result in catastrophe. And I too, am a junior high nerd, who loves Harry Potter and thinks logically. It's nice to see someone else who does that same. :D Thanks for the lengthy reviews, they make my day! And about the whole TV show thing, I agree with him, but I'm sure there are PLENTY of third-party companies making C&H merchandise anyway. Who says art can't be recreated in the form of a television series?**_

**As for everybody else, I'm so glad at the success of this story so far (784 hits!). I may continue making stories here in the C&H section, I like it over here. :)**

**Any suggestions for the rest of the story? I'm having trouble thinking of what to do with the rest of this plot.**

**Chapter NINE!**

"Wait!"

School had just ended. Unluckily for Susie, her last period was Economics, which she was supposed to be focusing hard in, but he thoughts were adrift in the sea of thought. Was what she heard all a misunderstanding? The greater part of her assumed it was, Calvin and Hobbes couldn't be _fighting _over _her_. One of them supposedly hated her, and the other was of a different species. But then again…the possibilities were endless. What if they both harbored romantic intentions towards her. She smiled at the thought for a second, but then frowned. Conflict was inevitable.

If they both had romantic feelings for her, then who would she choose? Hobbes was the friendlier of the two, but she knew Calvin, deep down, also had a heart of gold. Up front, the tiger also seemed to be the intellect, but again, Calvin was also, deep down, incredibly intelligent. Calvin also had the advantage of being of her species, but-…she couldn't decipher it. But then again, what if she was making herself fall for them, when it could be a misunderstanding, and they might not have any feelings for her at all?

"Wait!"

Susie looked behind her, on the sidewalk, to see Hobbes running towards her, seeming panicked. She hadn't spoken to him or Calvin since the incident in English glass. Where was Calvin anyway? She stopped, looking down at the lines in the sidewalk as Hobbes slowed to a halt in front of her, his breathing deep and hasty. She gave him a concerned look,

"Are you okay? What happened?"

Hobbes froze. Maybe she _didn't _hear his argument, and he was making a fool out of himself. He shrugged the thought away, deciding that she had to hear it.

"I- um… How much of that argument with Calvin did you hear, exactly?"  
>"I…Well, all of it, to be honest."<p>

"What did you mean by he knew 'your feelings for her'?"

Scratching the back of his head, Hobbes chuckled with slight agenda, stammering a bit to cover this up, "R-Right, that part? Y-You misunderstood me, I was talking about… Roxanne!"

"Roxanne?"  
>"Heh, yeah! She's a tiger babe from, uh…back home."<br>"Calvin said you've lived with him since Kindergarten."

"You're not making this any easier to cover up." remarked Hobbes flatly. Susie tilted her head to the side for a moment, but then continued walking, deciding not to add to that. Hobbes followed. Each of them remained silent as they walked side by side along the sidewalk. She absentmindedly followed him to the back porch of his house, sitting beside him on it, still silent. 'Screw it', she thought, 'If I'm going to ask him, what better an opportunity?'

"H-Hobbes…"

After a second, he snapped his head over to face her, his paws folded in his lap, "Yes?"

"You weren't…talking about me during the fight with Calvin…were you?"

Tensing, Hobbes went rigid. Was it bad to say yes? Or the same for no? Tapping his foot on the ground, he sputtered a bit, staring into space. Finally, he turned his head at her, putting on the best poker face he could, "I- Well, I-…ye-…no."

"You hesitated."  
>"Sorry…just a bit out of it today. But, why do you ask?"<br>"I was just curious, I guess."

Hobbes chuckled a bit, "Besides… Why would you like _me_? The only people today who saw me ran in terror."

"They didn't meet the real you."

The taller one rolled his eyes, looking down. He was mentally cursing himself, 'Why didn't you tell her? She asked you plain, in person, no distractions! You idiot!' Susie frowned a bit at his answer. She felt…disappointed? Upset? They sat in silence for a moment, as Hobbes turned to her, "Say…do you maybe want to play chess?" She smiled lightly,

"Chess?"  
>"Yeah."<p>

"Sure, why not," she smiled. He smiled back pulling out a board game which was left folded beside the barbecue on the porch. Finding the bag of pieces, the two began to set them up along the board, pawns in the first row, rooks, knights, bishops and royals in the second. Susie made the first move with one of her pawns, as Hobbes continued their previous conversation, a little quietly,

"Besides, back on that subject… I thought Calvin asked you on a, what you call, 'date'."  
>"How did you hear that?"<br>"I'll spare you the details…"  
>"He did, but I'm not sure if I really want to take up his offer."<p>

Hobbes kept his eyes glued to the board, moving his knight over, trying to plot his next few moves, equally splitting his attention to the beautiful girl beside him. She sighed lightly, her shoulders shrugging as he looked up, meeting her gaze. A shiver ran up his spine, seeing those hazel eyes sparking right back at him. She smiled,

"I think I have my eye on someone." She said, moving her rook along the board, trying to counter-balance Hobbes' moves. She bit her bottom lip nervously, wondering if her hint was too obvious. At the mention of that, he froze again, trying to keep his attention on beating her in the game of chess, "Do I know him?"

"More than you'd think." Replied Susie almost playfully,

Whether it was intended that she lean ever so slightly closer was a mystery, but his made his heart rate pump faster almost instantly. And whether it was intended that his paw run up her arm or not, a shiver coursed through her own spine, a blush now on her face for a change. He made the next move in the game, still stunned. Could she be talking about…him? Surely not.

"Checkmate."

**Yeah, yeah, it's short and uneventful, but I have a basic idea for the rest of the plot. But still, suggestion is HIGHLY welcomed! Now, let's see those reviews! :)**

**-RJ**


	10. Everything Evil

**Hey guys. So, I reread through this story, not exactly sure how fond I am of it. I want to go back and reedit and rewrite each chapter, but I won't do that until I get the okay from my two most loyal reviewers, **_**AlbusSeverusPotter **_**and **_**PrincessNinjaWarrior**_**, to whom I'll apologize for not replying to her reviews. About your uncertainty to Susie being less hesitant, don't fret, I have a plan for it, there are no final decisions yet for her. And to **_**Albus**_**, Calvin won't be forgotten. I have some things planned for him as well. By the way, when are you making the account? :)**

**Though not a big fan of slash, I read Cleo Leo's **_**'Done Up My Buttons, and Unstitched my Seams' **_**in one sitting, and decided I'd give her a shout-out, I thought it was a great slash story. The ending with Bill Watterson was very clever!**

**Alright, here's chapter…ten? Ten, right? I'm too lazy to look it up. Sorry it took so long!**

Around three, after a few more games of chess, Susie decided to head up to her friend's house across town. Hobbes tried to offer to walk her there, but she refused politely, leaving him on the porch, silent. The uncertainty was eating him from the inside. Every part of him wanted to believe that Susie, in the slightest bit of assurance, had been talking about _him_. But the other part of him told him it wasn't true, and that he was fooling himself, forcing the fantasies into his brain. He stood from the porch, walking past the backyard and into the forest, not paying mind to much else. Was Calvin home? He could have been watching him and Susie this entire time, and would he know?

Of course not, but then again, did he care?

Of course he cared, in his subconscious, the thought that Calvin could be spying on them, hearing their conversations and jokes, plotting against him; it almost _scared _him. Calvin had the advantage in this situation, and a major one at that. It pained him to know that Susie didn't deserve to have people running from her, thinking her a freak for being with him. It hurt even more that of all the fantasies and possibilities he'd crammed into his mind, this one was one of the more realistic ones. People would either run from them, or think she was dating a…a stuffed animal.

"A stuffed animal…" he mused to himself, leaning against a tree, "Of all things. I walk on two legs, speak English, and live like a human, god damn it. And no credibility," he huffed, kicking a pebble, "Bunch of shit that is…"

**oooOoOooo**

"Calvin Watterson!"

The spiky-haired teen groaned in agitation in the office chair he sat in beside the desk of the school's secretary. He didn't even do anything this time! The boy stood up from the chair, walking slumpily over to the Vice Principal's office, where a pretty blonde girl in denim cutoff shorts sat in a chair, beside another unoccupied chair. Calvin recognized her as Brooke, one of the "it" girls from Drama class. He hesitantly sat down in the chair beside her, the Vice Principal, Mr. Spittle (he got a promotion, god damn it), parallel to them.

"What'd I do this time, Mr. Spittle?"  
>"Well, Calvin, you seem to be having trouble in English class-"<br>"No, I'm not. I have a solid B+."  
>"…Well, Brooke here talked about trying to start a book club. And you owe enough detention hours, that I feel joining her would pay it off."<p>

Calvin groaned, stealing a quick glance at Brooke, expecting a bitchy smirk, but instead, she was staring at her lap, looking guilty about something, but what? Not that she didn't have _plenty _to be guilty for, but it was still odd to see a girl of such pride with such a_ repressing _aura. He looked back at Mr. Spittle.

"What exactly are we talking about, here?"  
>"Well, it would be outside of school. I spoke to your mother, she deemed it <em>perfectly <em>okay for Brooke here to go to your house after school for a few days."  
>"How long?"<br>"Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays until seven, for three weeks. Would you rather it be that, or an evenly spread 23 hours of detention?"

Calvin closed his eyes, huffing an angry breath, "Fu- shi-… Fine, I'll take the book club. Come on, eh…Brooke."

"If you don't mind, Calvin, I'd like a minute alone with Brooke."  
>"Sure, whatever.."<p>

Calvin left the office, muttering obscenities under his breath as he shut the door, leaving Brooke alone with the Vice Principal. Mr. Spittle stood from the desk, talking around it, and leaning against the wall, giving the blonde a stern look, clearing his throat to make her look at him. He sighed, using gestures with his hands,

"Now listen, Brooke. Calvin's mother doesn't know of this, so keep it discreet."  
>"Mr. Spittle, I don't know if this is the right-" <p>

"Miss Adelita, we _cannot _have tigers in this school. Real or not, today was complete _pandemonium_. Students screaming bloody murder in the hallways, disrupting classes- We can't have things like this when the Super Intendant comes to check up on us. I could lose my job, this school could get budget cuts, lower grades. Distractions like this can make this very school obsolete."

"When I met him, he didn't seem like he wanted to hurt-"  
>"Met? It's an animal."<br>"Mr. Spittle, you don't understand, the tiger stood on two legs, he spoke _English_."  
>"This district is counting on you, Brooke. Get…that…tiger…to the animal control."<br>"Mister-"  
>"And we'll make sure this little problem is taken care of."<p>

**Well, look at that! We have a plot running. This story will stay under twenty chapters, I'm sure of it. I may do a sequel, or maybe just another Hobbes/Susie story. Give me thoughts, ideas? Hell, write a story with this pairing! It would be interesting to see others using it.**

**Anyway, there should be a new chapter hopefully today, seeing as I actually have something to work with, Sorry for the wait, and please give me feedback! I love you guys!**

**-RJ**


	11. All For You

_**Ginger- I actually was going to bring Brooke into the triangle/square, I guess I'm easy to figure out, but the date thing, I will definitely use. As I've mentioned before, I'll use almost any ideas, and hey, I love long reviews, they're the best (I love Albus' name too, by the way). And to make fanfiction ,you'll need to make an account, and if you do, I'll definitely read and review them! I generally am a fan of romance, with a darkish plot. **_

_**For any suggestions, I'd suggest maybe an Harry Potter story involving Albus Severus, and an OC daughter of Luna and Neville, and maybe forming a Snape/Lily sort of friendship/romance, while Albus is (As Harry is part Voldemort) starting to get the Voldemort gene, and form some sort of plot along those lines. I've always wanted to see something like that. As for a C&H fic, I'd say anything would do fine, just don't make the cliché Calvin-Grows-Up-and-leaves-Hobbes plot. Extra brownie points from me if you make a Hobbes/Susie fic, so I'm not the only one being weird. ;)**_

**As for everyone else, I hope you enjoy Chapter 11! Let's see where it goes next…**

"So…you're making a _book _club…"  
>"Erm…yeah, I am…"<p>

Calvin and Brooke walked awkwardly down the twisting roads from school, the path unfamiliar to Brooke. She wasn't sure if she could keep the 'book club' charade up for too long, let alone long enough to trick Calvin into what the district had sent her to do. Her mission? Get Hobbes, and keep him in one place until she could call the animal control. Poor Calvin was oblivious, as well as annoyed that he was assigned to be Brooke's monkey slave. Still, as much of a brat as she presented herself as, Calvin had to admit that having a hot blonde in his house was a lot better than Detention with Mrs. Wormwood. That much was obvious. Of course, none of that effected what he wanted: Susie.

Calvin was using the restroom when Brooke decided her best opportunity to go try and find the tiger. Tip toeing down the stairs, she padded along through the living room, still not finding him, she checked the downstairs bathroom, the study, and the sitting room. Nowhere was he to be found. The last place to look was the kitchen, she listened to hear if Calvin was still in the restroom- he was, no footsteps or flushes were heard.

Tiptoeing back through the hall and to the kitchen, she nothing through the little window, but stepped inside anyway, to see Susie Derkins sitting on the back porch, talking to someone. Dodging out of sight, Brooke decided to spy from the window that hung above the sink, getting a perfect view of Susie sitting on the edge of the porch, facing the other direction. Stretching her neck a bit further, she saw the tiger sitting beside her. Brooke stopped silent, listening to them closely.

"…And I'm not sure how to react. I mean, come on, Calvin can't _like _me, can he?"

Keeping her neck stretched, Brooke saw that Hobbes was slumping over slightly, arms crossed tightly around his chest, his breathing short and huffy. It was obvious that he was angry. From the bit of his face that she was able to see, his eyebrows were furrowed in an annoyed expression, but still he gave her calm replies,

"Not sure. He surely wouldn't talk to _me _about that sort of thing."  
>"What about you? Don't you tell him about <em>your <em>feelings for others?"

The tiger rolled his eyes, out of view of Susie's gaze, which was brought upon the trees, "Of course I do, not like he takes them into consideration."

"What do you mean?"  
>"I'll spare you the details…"<p>

"Oh…well, whatever he's up to, I have to see him at the movies at 7:30. You wouldn't mind helping me decide what to wear?" asked Susie sheepishly, a small blush formed on her face. Hobbes huffed out a short agitated sigh ahain, rolling his eyes, arms still crossed,

"Would I _mind _being your girlfriend and helping you pick out what to wear for Prince Charming? Wouldn't _dream _of it."  
>"No, no, I mean… Well… You're a guy, you have opinions. I need your…your artistic insight."<p>

"Whatever it is you need, Sweetheart." Said Hobbes offhandedly, following her into her house as another male voice was heard from the entrance that connected the kitchen to the living room, clearing its throat. Brooke snapped around to see Calvin, an eyebrow arched, "What are you doing down here?"

"Oh, I just needed a minute to call a friend of mine. I'll be up in just a minute."  
>"Whatever."<p>

Calvin left the kitchen. Brooke didn't whip out her cell phone until Calvin's footsteps were heard in his room, just above the kitchen. It slid from her pocket, as she swiftly dialed the school's phone number, an answer came from Mr. Spittle, as she dialed his extension from the school's phone number.

"Hello, Richard Spittle speaking."  
>", it's me, Brooke. I'm calling from Calvin's house."<p>

An idea seemed to form in the girls mind. From what she observed, she wanted Calvin, as well as the tiger. Susie seems to want Calvin as well. She smiled as the idea came crashing through into her mind. It was genious! It would leave Susie alone, and Calvin hers.

"I have an idea on how to catch the tiger."  
>"I'm listening."<p>

**oooOoOooo**

It was 9:30 at night. Hobbes was alone in the house with Mom and Dad, who were downstairs in the living room, reading together. Hobbes smirked to himself, he couldn't say that being Susie's girl friend wasn't all too bad. She looked absolutely _stunning _in that cute little red dress, thought the tiger shamelessly as a sudden ring was heard from the dresser. '_Calvin would leave his phone here…' _he thought, hopping off the bed to go see who was calling. The Caller ID read 'Susie_'_. Hesitantly, he picked up the phone, and s\pressed the 'talk' button, raising it to his ear,

"Hello?"

"Susie?"  
>"He-…eh…AHH! No! Ah!"<p>

Hobbes suddenly began shaking as a tremble ran down his spine. Something wasn't right. He began pacing the width of the room, holding the phone to his ear as his body became rigid with worry. Talking more loudly, more frantic, he called her name again,

"Susie! It's Hobbes, are you okay?"

_Back in the alleyway she hid in, Susie was crouched down beside a dumpster, hearing the throaty voice on the other end of the line, muffled my her hand. She raised it to her head, her voice shaking with fear,_

"H-Hobbes! Are you there?" she whispered shakily.

"Yes, I'm here, w-What's wrong?"  
>"Help me, please. A man took Calvin into his van, and locked the doors! Help!"<p>

"Shh…shh," Hobbes hushed, trying to calm her, "Where are you?"

"The other one is still looking for m-m-me."  
>"Susie, love, you need to calm down. Please… where are you?"<br>"14th Street, in the alleyway, please hurry!"  
>"Stay safe, I'm on my way."<p>

_Susie smiled hopefully to herself as a tear escaped her, she was still crouched beside the dumpster She stayed silent for a moment, but still heard his shaky breath over the phone. She looked down the alleyway, still feeling safe. She felt a lot safer now that Hobbes was on the way. _

"Th-Thank you. I'll see you soon, but b-b-be careful, look out for a white Toyota van. I don't want you to get hurt, H-Hobbes."  
>"Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. I'm a third of the way there already, love."<p>

With that, he hung up the phone, running as fast as he could, on all fours, down the numbered streets. His breath was labored, almost ran out as he ran faster than he had in a long time. Of all the tings he could have been thinking of, one thing lingered in his mind, _'Did I seriously just call her 'love'?'_

**This isn't the near end, don't worry, there's still more to come. Happy New Years, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter, as well as the last.**

**Review!**

**-RJ**


	12. Against the Current

_**Albus- Making an account takes ten minutes, tops. You might as well make one now, because you already have to wait 48 hours after making the account before you cn do anything besides review and Private Messgage, so I'd advice you just make one. It's pretty simple. And thanks for the reviews, I love them, you make them so nice and lengthy. :) I love how you repeated the term 'mushy mush mush love mush', that made me laugh. The next few chapters will be a solid mix of mush mush and action, so, I hope you enjoy the ride. This should end at 19 chapters, before I make a different story.**_

_**Oh, and main reason I urge you to make an account- I'd like to make these replies directly to you, instead of awkwardly replying in the beginnings of my chapter, so people don't get confused. But, anyway, glad to hear your word on the story, and now, I'll start to write it.**_

**As for the rest of you (Who else is reading this besides Albus, Ginger, and PrincessNinjaWarrior anyway?), I hope you enjoy chapter 12. Can't wait to hear your thoughts! :)**

Panting, Hobbes was nearly there. One more block to run down. But then again, the white van was already in sight. From where he was, it looked clean, and not all that sketchy. The main question he had in mind was why the van never left. It must have been at least a little over 5 minutes it took him to walk there, the van wouldn't just sitting there…_waiting _for Susie. And then, Calvin was also in danger. What if he was hurt? Or dead? As angry as Hobbes was at him, Calvin was still his best friend, one of his only friends. He was his brother, in a way. The alleyway Susie was in was past the van, but luckily for him, ran around the building that separated the alley just next to him. As quiet as possible, he ducked into the first alley.

It was dark, and smelled like garbage. Dirt clouds littered the fur of his legs as he ran around the building, towards the alley parallel to the first. Once there, he walked through it slowly, looking all around for Susie's crouched form, hiding, shaking in feat. He couldn't hear anything, until-

"BAH!" he yelped, growling ferociously as he whipped around, teeth bared, only to see Susie standing behind him.

His expression softened immediately. There were little tangled and imperfections in her dark hair, her short red dress had been torn. She wasn't crying, but looked frightened. The tiger immediately hugged her tightly, a sigh of relief taking him over. Susie leaned her head against his chest, returning the hug before pulling away, looking back up at him. He returned her gaze questioningly, his voice barely above a whisper,

"What happened. Is Calvin still in the van?"  
>"Yeah…I tried to call him, I figured his phone was on silent during the movie, but-"<br>"He didn't bring it."  
>"Then you answered. I-…I don't know what we should do, they're probably waiting for me to come out."<p>

Hobbes looked over his shoulder. The van was just parked there, no lights were on at all, as if it were just parked for the night. It was directly in front of the sidewalk that bordered the alley, no more than twenty feet away from them. The shade of darkness seemed to hide them from view of the car… it seemed… Hobbes turned back to her.

"Maybe they can't see me. I can try to get Calvin, which seat is he in?"  
>"Back, but the doors bound to be locked."<p>

"And since when could a full grown Bengal tiger _not _break open a car window?"

"Hobbes, no! There has to be another way. They'll have to come out of the van eventually, right?"  
>"They have the advantage of a warm car though. They might even have enough food to stay out here."<p>

Susie groaned in frustration, kicking a discarded bottle against the dumpster, shattering it. The sound of a larger vehicle approaching made them turn around to face the opening to the alley. Footsteps approaching were heard, until two capped sillouettes entered the alley, holding what looked like guns. Hobbes and Susie went wide-eyed, and started to back up. Light suddenly flooded the alleyway as flashlights were aimed at the pair.

"Hobbes?"  
>"Yeah?"<br>"RUN!"

Taking off as quickly as they could down the dirt path, the girl and the tiger ran as fast as they could, the sound of booted footsteps clambering louder and liuder as they ran. Electricity volts were heard from being, only making the two run faster.

_Back in the Van…_

Calvin had his nose pressed against the glass of the car door as he saw the two uniformed men run after Hobbes and Susie with flashlights and tazers, the two aforementioned hauling ass just a few feet ahead of them. Stammering, the boy began to yell, whapping his hand on the glass as he tried to open the door, frantically calling out their names. Eventually, he gaze up, face in his hands before looking to the seat beside him. Brooke was there…sobbing. Calvin quickly furrowed his eyebrows, rage suddenly taking him over.

"_You_… _YOU _set me up!"  
>"Calvin, you don't understand-!"<br>"I should've _known _there was no way _you _would be setting up a book club! You probably can't even _read_!"  
>"<em>Calvin<em>, let me explain!"  
>"NO! Because of <em>you<em>, the fucking _animal control _is chasing down my best friend, _and _Susie! They _kill _wild animals, you know that, _Brooke_?"

_Back in the twisting alleyways…_

"Damn heels!"

Hobbes and Susie diverted into a dark side alley, the men running past them as Susie removed her shoes, wincing slightly. She put it back on, the two still panting heavily. She looked at Hobbes,

"I saw the uniforms…that's the animal control?"  
>"The animal c-"<br>"Yes, they must be after you. We have to get _out of here_."  
>"But, Calvin-"<p>

"To hell with Calvin! If he's in the van, then who knows _he _didn't plan this?" Susie threw her hands in the air. Hobbes sighed, looking down from her, to the ground, and back to the parallel alleyway. Rubbing the back of his sore head, taking her hand in his paw as he sprinted across the main alleyway in search of the one from which he first entered. Once out, and back on the sidewalk, they sprinted on until they were at a safe distance on 10th street, where they turned, on towards Willow Street, the one they both lived on.

Hobbes dazily followed her into her house, where they ascended the stairs up to her room. He smiled slightly, following her in. He remembered being in there not two weeks ago. She shut the door behind them, locking it as she shut the window, drawing the curtains in as well. Hobbes gave her another worried look,

"Won't you parents get mad that I'm here, at ten at night?"  
>"Not like they would be able to see you, anyway. You may have to face Hell from your mom later though."<br>"Oh, I don't want to _know _what she'll be thinking when she hears about this…"

Susie went red, knowing what he meant, but ignored it. She took a deep breath, removing her heels gratefully. As she joined Hobbes, sitting on the edge of the bed, she knew his question would be inevitable, being the big protective furball that he was.

"Now…tell me what happened. Everything."

Susie sighed, slosing her eyes as she though back to the first important event of the night,

"It went like this…"

**And there we have it!**

**The next chapter will consist of Brooke and Calvin's arguing, flashbacks, intrusions from the Animal Control, and some Hobbes/Susie fluff. So, hope you enjoy it! Should be posted sometime this weekend.**

**Hope you enjoyed this! Review for me, yeah?**

**-RJ**


	13. Lines to Cross

_**Albus- No problem, haha, don't go into an epileptic seizure, the story was updated only 26 hours later. And yay, no more awkward replies at the top of my chapter! I always stop the chapter around 1,300 words anyway, so stopping this should make the word count less, meaning longer chapters! And yes, the 'mush love' is in this chapter, haha. I love romance too, but I too, HATE those books about those said things. It's annoying, and way too popular for it's own good. Tacos! Yum, I love them so much! Alrighty, enough italic-bold headings, I have to inish the authors note. Once your account is up, the replies will be longer. :)**_

**Okay, so there's something I need to address here. I made a story once (on a different account, mind you) involving a human/anthro-animal pairing, and when I made the first kiss scene of it, I got quite a review from an otherwise silent reader telling me how wrong and disgusting and illegal it was to pair a human with an animal, no matter how human-;ike the animal is. I understand it's considered illegal in real life, but if you're that silent reader who's going to bitch a storm at me for writing this, I have three things to say. One, why are you reading this? Two, IT'S FANFICTION! WHO CARES? And three, screw you.**

**SO, like I said, this the first 'romance' scene so far, and I'm kind of nervous to write it, but damn it, this will be posted tonight. So on I go with the story. CHAPTER 13!**

_Ring…ring…ring…_

"Hello?" answered a very tired grumpy voice, belonging to the old man who played the role of the voce principal at Redwood High. On the other end of the line was a nervous sounding animal control officer, stuffing his tazer back into the holster on his belt. Smoothing out the wrinkles on his green jumpsuit.

"Mr. Spittle, I'm afraid your little Plan A failed. The tiger got away."  
>"You idiots! I don't mean to sound like a heartless prick, but why didn't you just shoot it!"<br>"Our rights weren't valid."  
>"Tigers are a threat to anyone, you've seen those attacks on National Geographic!"<p>

The officer sighed, rubbing the sleeve of his forearm over his sweaty forehead as the officers around him were bustling around, trying to think of a way to catch him.

"Sir, we may have a way to track him down."  
>"The tiger?"<br>"Yes. See, he ran away with a girl. He yelled the name 'Susie' at some point, if that rings a bell."  
>"Susie Derkins?... Right, it makes sense now. Okay, listen and listen good, I have a new plan…"<p>

**oooOoOooo**

"It went like this…"

Susie muttered to herself almost silently as she recalled the first significant event of the night. Hobbes sat beside her, face the girl with a solemn expression, hands folded in his lap. She opened her eyes, looking first to the floor, before looking up to meet Hobbes' gaze, "We were arriving there, at the movie theater."

_ "So, have you given any thought to what movie you'd like to see?" asked Calvin, keeping one hand on the wheel as he looked over at Susie, who's gaze was focused on the road line patterns out the window. After realizing his question, she turned around to face him, _

"_Oh…Not really, I don't even know what's out now…"_

"We ended up seeing some comedy, I forgot what it was called. But when we left, we were walking to his car. He parked on 15th street, a couple blocks from the theater. There was a big white van parked in front of his car, and as soon as we walked passed it, a big man jumped from the car, picking up Calvin, and throwing him into the seat before turning around…"

_Panic-stricken, Susie did the first thing that popped into her head: run. Before the man could turn around and snatch her too, she was already running, into the alleyway. Luckily, it was dark enough for her to hide safely before he could register where she had gone to. Peeking from behind the far side of a dumpster, crouched low, she saw him enter the van, but instead of leaving…the car stayed there. Shaking, Susie pulled out her cell phone._

"It was a bit of a stupid idea, but, I decided to try and call his phone, first out of stupidness, but then I realized that he didn't bring it. I knew that you would answer. I was hoping you would…"

"_Susie! It's Hobbes, are you okay?"_

_ His voice was muffled from the phone being in her outstretched hand. She raised to her ear shakily, looking out at the van, which still didn't move, "H-Hobbes…Are you there?" she whispered shakily, fearing that the man in the car was able to see her. To hear her._

"_Yes…I'm here. W-What's wrong?"_

"Then you came. But…I think Brooke being at your house was about more than some stupid book club."  
>"Are you suggesting that she <em>planned <em>for me to get chased and tazed? You too?"  
>"Not me, obviously, but I think she was trying to get you. I don't know why though."<p>

Hobbes sighed, looking from her to the wall as he stood up, pacing around the room. He was tired of all the things that had started ever since two weekends ago. It was enough, and he knew it. Watching him as he paced around, Susie remained quiet, thinking over the past few events as she listened to him. He helped her twice…and now she was helping him. She was worried the Animal Control would burst in any minute.

"I'm so sick of this. Not to make puns, or anything, but I'm literally stuck in a world between lines!"  
>"What do you mean?" <p>

"I mean I'm…I'm trapped!" said the tiger, flustered, "I can't leave the house without fear of getting taken. I can't be with Calvin without arguing, the school obviously isn't an option, I have some blonde little tyrant trying to _kill _me, and there's the barrier I have separating me from-…from…" he trailed off, resting his hands on the windowsill as he looked out on the gates between her house and his.

"The barrier keeping you from what?"  
>"Nothing…it's nothing."<p>

**oooOoOooo**

"Fine, Brooke, _explain _to be why you did this." 

"Vice Principal Spittle told me to! He said things about how your tiger pet…friend…thing… How he could set the school into chaos, which would set budget cuts from a lower class grade. Less pay, more layoffs."

"I know that fleabag scared some people, but he wouldn't _hurt _anybody! The grades are at an all time low, anyway!" yelled Calvin, making angry gestures with his arms. Brooke crossed her arms giving him an opposing look, "Which is exactly why we _don't _need you tiger terrorizing the school!"

"That doesn't mean _kill _him!"  
>"I'm not the one who decided that, I didn't think it would go this far! Listen-"<br>"WHAT?"

"If you would just give me a god damn chance to let me reason with you," said Brooke with irritation, "I can try and find a way to fix this."

"Well? What did you have in mind?"  
>"Do you swear to go along with what I say, and be nice?" she smiled with agenda.<br>"Hmph…fine…"

**oooOoOooo**

"You can tell me what it was you know, Hobbes…"  
>"But I can't."<p>

"So there _was _something. Which line are you trapped in now, to make a hexagon?" Susie smirked playfully. Hobbes sighed, "Well…I guess there's nothing I can't say at this point. Hell, I could get shot through the window right now at this point." Susie stood from the bed, her pulse rising as she walked quietly in Hobbes' direction. He was still looking out the window.

"It involves you… And Calvin, in some ways. And let's just say it's a lost cause. He has the upper hand in this one."  
>"Hobbes?"<br>"And as much as I hate that he does, I knew I'd have to be okay with it, eventually- but-…I'm not."

A shiver coursed down his spine as Susie's hand grazed over the fur on his arm, he turned to face her. She was looking up at him, almost in a way to make the tiger softness of her voice echoed through his head as her hands found themselves around his neck, "There are some lines you can cross, sometimes, you know."

Before he could register what she meant, shivers on his spine doubled in strength as her lips found his. Almost instantly, he settled a large paw on the small of her back, the other on the back of her neck, bring his closer to him as he savored the moment for what it was worth. How long he had waited for this to happen. How badly he wanted it, too. Maybe Calvin wasn't going to win this time. Pulling away, Susie smiled softly at him as she shut the window blinds to shield them from view before returning to kiss him again.

'_I knew it_' thought Hobbes, '_Getting to smooch Susie Derkins was worth the wait._'

**Yeah, that seemed a lot less cheesy in my head, but Hey. 12 chapters of a story labeled 'romance', and I felt it was time to bring that part into the story. So, the next chapter will begin the 'climax' parts of the story. Only six more chapters to go before the end of this story!**

**Any ideas for a follow-up story with this pairing? Sequel, or just another story, I don't care. Just please, give me some ideas! Thanks for reading, now REVIEW!**

**-RJ**


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